We suffer from a mental block, a belief system, in which we simply assume that we are going to have to die some day. There is in fact no reason why this should have to be the case. Although there are a number of people who are pursuing the goals of technological immortality and technological resurrection, there is too little public awareness to finish these projects in a timely fashion.



Types of Technological Immortality:

Biological Immortality: There are a number of people aiming to cure the most common diseases that kill older people. This approach is likely to be the most popular. Clearly more people could be focused on truly obtaining immortality, rather than health care for the elderly. There is also the approach of restoration, which aims to reverse the damage done by aging.

Cybernetic Immortality: This is seen as a form of immortality by many people. It involves taking a very high resolution scan of your mind, and moving the data that defines how your mind operates into a computer chip or some other substrate. It offers the advantage of an extremely robust form of immortality, you would literally be able to backup your mind in case of failure or destruction. It also offers the opportunity of replaceable, above human grade robotic bodies, and cheap virtual reality. It suffers the disadvantage of being seen as a form of mental cloning by many, which by some people’s definition is not immortality at all. Proponents will argue that our hair, fingernails, etc., are replaced throughout our life and that we are in fact the organized state of our minds, and that the chemicals and atoms from which our brain is made are slowly replaced throughout our lives as well. There are also those who believe that the mind is similar to software, and that the 'hardware' is replaceable. There will also be people who have unfinished or unaccomplished objectives who may consider this approach. People who wish to be there for their children, people who wish to explore space or have other objectives, and people who wish to ensure that the original biological person that they are is one day technologically resurrected may pursue this route.

Reconstruction from DNA: I see this as a cloning technology more than it is a true form of immortality.

Reconstruction from observations of a person’s behavior: I do not believe that this is a true form of immortality, and may result in civil problems where a living, feeling, being or person is created that is not very similar to the original.

Statues and monuments: There are people who market variations of this theme but it is not the type of immortality I am describing.



Types of Technological Resurrection:

Technological Resurrection: The truest form of technological resurrection involves calculating the complete atomic state of the deceased at the time of death, retrieving the original atoms the deceased was composed of, and reconstructing the deceased through placement of the retrieved atoms into the calculated state at time of death. Further physical and medical procedures may be required.

Resurrection as a Cybernetic: Another form of technological resurrection involves reconstructing the deceased into a non-biological form from the calculated state at time of death. One would be resurrecting the deceased into the same form as those who have achieved cybernetic immortality. This approach may not be as popular as some might see it as similar to a cloning technology.



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